Zealand

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / image missing

Zealand (Danish Sjælland ), with an area of 7031.3 km ², the largest island in the Baltic Sea and Denmark in the east of the country. With 2,208,348 inhabitants ( 1 January 2013) is Zealand at the same time by far the most populous island in Denmark.

Name

The exact origins of the Danish name " Sjælland " is controversial. " Själ " means in today's Danish true "soul", but due to older recordings can exclude this interpretation. A corresponding the German name deriving from " SIO / sæ " ( "sea", meaning " sea " ) is now widely rejected - but it may be that the German name was created when the Danish research on word origin not yet the present state was reached; the Danes so even accepted that the name " Seeland " means. The prevailing view today is that the altdänische form " Siâland " is derived from a composition of the word * selha - ending * - wundia. The latter means " includes, similar ". The word * selha - can have two different meanings: It can be used for a " seal " mean (in modern Danish " sæl " ), and mean to the other " deep bay, fjord ". As the most important place on Zealand was formerly Roskilde, which can be reached only by sea through the narrow and branched Roskilde Fjord, it is widely believed that the sailors have named after this island.

Geography

In the northeast of Zeeland is the Danish capital Copenhagen, which extends in part to the neighboring island of Amager. With the surrounding towns Copenhagen is the Capital Region (Region Hovedstaden ), one of the five administrative regions of Denmark. It has an area of ​​2561 km ² 1,167,569 inhabitants (1 January 2009 ), ie the area of ​​the country is home to less than 6% for more than 20 % of the Danish population. For this part of Zealand is by far the largest urban center in Denmark. At the same time it forms the Danish part of the Öresund region.

For western neighboring island Fyn ( German: Fyn ), in turn connected by two bridges in the north- west with the Danish mainland, leads the Great Belt Bridge. With the southern neighboring island of Falster Zealand is connected by the bridges Farøbroerne and Storstrømsbroen and Møn on the Dronning Alexandrine Bro. Since 2000, Zealand has over the Öresund link, a bridge and tunnel combination, direct connection to the Swedish province of Skåne.

Another important city is the former capital of Roskilde with its World Heritage Site, the Roskilde Cathedral.

Highest natural point is the Seeland Kobanke with 122.9 meters. Gyldenløves Høj reached 121.3 meters, with the Dolmen 125.5 meters. In the northern part of the island of Maglebjerg with 91 meters is the highest peak. It is located in the forest of Rude ( Rude Skov ) immediately east of Ebberødgård.

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